Custom domains

Overview

Setting up a Custom domain is beneficial because it strengthens your brand identity, improves email deliverability, and builds trust with your recipients. With a custom domain, your emails are sent using your own domain name (e.g., you@yourbrand.com) instead of @autopilotmail.com, making them appear more personalized and professional to your subscribers.

Accessing custom domains

To access the custom domains page, go to Settings > Custom domains.

Managing custom domains

The custom domains page allows users to:

• Set up a custom domain.
• Set up an SMS custom domain.

Custom domain limits

• Professional: 5
• Business: 10
• Enterprise: 15

SMS domain limits

• 1 SMS domain per plan level.

Why set up a custom domain and tracking subdomain?

• Setting up a custom domain for email or email and tracking brings distinct benefits tailored to your needs.
• Using a custom domain enhances your credibility as a sender, aiding email providers such as Gmail and Apple Mail in identifying you as trustworthy.

Email only

Using a custom domain means your emails are sent from your domain, like you@yourbrand.com, not @autopilotmail.com. This enhances delivery to the inbox, increases open rates, and ensures your emails are recognized as trusted brand communications.

• Learn more about how a custom domain name can enhance your sender authentication in understanding email deliverability.

Email delivery and tracking

In addition to email benefits, a tracking subdomain provides custom tracking links in your emails and personalized tracking codes for capture widgets and Talk Messenge

Tracking links in emails

With a custom domain for email delivery and tracking, links in your emails (e.g., "Read more") redirect through your tracking subdomain (e.g., track.yourbrand.com). This setup enhances deliverability and prevents your emails from being marked as spam.

• By utilizing your tracked subdomain as the initial link destination within email messages, recipients are reassured of the link's authenticity and association with your brand. For instance, when recipients hover over the Read more button, they can verify that the link is affiliated with your brand before clicking it.

• Learn more about authentication and careful link usage.

Tracking code for capture widgets

After setting up your tracking subdomain in your Ortto account, any capture widgets you create will automatically include the corresponding tracking code.

This setup ensures that tracking data can be gathered and processed seamlessly, even if visitors use ad blocker extensions. The ad blocker recognizes the tracking code as belonging to the webpage (since the domain names match) and is less likely to block it.

Knowledge base hosting

Hosting your knowledge base on a custom domain ensures consistent branding with your organization's domain, rather than including ortto in the URL.

After adding your custom domain with knowledge base hosting enabled, you can choose it under Settings > Knowledge base > Settings > Domain.

Set up a custom domain name and tracking subdomain

To set up a custom domain name and tracking subdomain, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Custom domains.
2. Click Add domain under Custom domain name.
3. Enter your Domain name (e.g., yourbrand.com) and choose your Domain provider.
4. If needed:
   • Check Enable this domain for activity tracking and widget hosting to establish a custom tracking subdomain.
   • Check Allow hosting your knowledge base on this domain to establish a custom knowledge base subdomain.
   • Leave both options unchecked if you only want to set a custom email domain.
5. Click Ok.
6. Once you've set up your custom domain name, you can add another one by clicking Add domain and following the same process.

CNAME records

You'll receive a series of CNAME records to add to your domain registrar's settings:

• 3 records for email only.
• 4 records for email and tracking.
• 5 records for email, tracking, and a knowledge base.

Domain registrar

Next, access your domain registrar's settings. Here are links to instructions for adding CNAME records with some common providers:

• Google Domains.
• GoDaddy.
• Namecheap.

If you use one of these providers, click on the respective link for detailed instructions. If your provider isn't listed, search for "<DOMAIN PROVIDER> how to add CNAME records" on Google and follow the instructions provided.

NOTE: If you use Cloudflare DNS, remember to adjust your CNAME records by setting each one's Proxy status to DNS only. This step ensures proper configuration for your custom domain.

For a visual guide on setting CNAME records in Ortto, check out our video tutorial below starting at 1:02 in the timeline.

Set up a subdomain as your connected domain

Set up a subdomain as your connected domain.

If you prefer to use a subdomain instead of your root domain for your From email address, follow these steps similar to connecting your root domain.

These instructions allow you to use name@exsub.yourbrand.com rather than name@yourbrand.com in your campaign emails.

To set up a subdomain:

1. Navigate to Custom domains.
2. Click Add domain under Custom domain name.
3. Enter your subdomain as the Domain name (e.g., exsub.yourbrand.com) and select your Domain provider.
4. If needed:
   • Check Enable this domain for activity tracking and widget hosting to establish a custom tracking subdomain.
   • Check Allow hosting your knowledge base on this domain to establish a custom knowledge base subdomain.
   • Leave both options unchecked if you only want to set a custom email domain.

5. Click Ok.

CNAME records

You'll receive a series of CNAME records to add to your domain registrar's settings.

Domain registrar

Next, access your domain registrar's settings. Here are links to instructions for adding CNAME records with some common providers:

• Google Domains.
• GoDaddy.
• Namecheap.

Set up an SMS domain

Setting up a Custom domain for SMS messages enables you to utilize a dedicated tracking domain distinct from your email communications. This enhances brand recognition, fosters trust, and ensures your SMS messages remain concise.

Learn more about configuring SMS domains.

Custom domains and Talk

Ortto’s Talk feature offers email auto-forwarding, allowing emails sent to your mailbox to be converted into conversation messages in your Talk inbox.

If you use email auto-forwarding, it's advisable to configure your domain settings with DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) signatures and a sender policy framework (SPF) record.

When you set up your custom domain, Ortto provides 2 DKIM signatures (e.g., ap3._domainkey.mybrand.com) in the CNAME records. These signatures help verify that emails sent from your domain are authentic.

Your domain’s SPF record specifies which mail servers can send emails on behalf of your domain. You may need to create a new SPF record or update an existing one to include Ortto’s mail server (autopilotmail.com).

For instructions on adding or editing SPF records with common domain providers, click the links below:

• Google Domains
• GoDaddy
• Namecheap.

Using your tracking domains

When setting up a custom domain for email delivery and tracking, you'll also need a tracking subdomain that matches your email domain.

When incorporating your tracking subdomain into the tracking code on your webpages, you can utilize any tracking subdomain configured across all your subdomains.

Test your new custom domain

Once you've added the CNAME records, it's time to test your setup.

1. Navigate to Custom domains.
2. Click Verify setup next to your domain name to ensure everything is functioning correctly.

• If the test is successful, congratulations! Your email domain name is now set up.
• If you encounter any issues, please reach out to support for further assistance.
  • View our custom domain troubleshooting doc for further information.

Edit or delete your custom domain

After setting up a custom domain name, you can modify its settings by clicking the more (…) icon and selecting Edit. Here, you can also designate a domain as the default option.

To delete a custom domain name, click the more (…) icon and select Delete. Deleting a custom domain name will cause emails to revert to the default autopilotmail.com domain.

Domain certification

If you have a Certification Authority Authorization (CAA) record for your domain, you can specify which certificate authorities are authorized to issue certificates.

Ortto uses ZeroSSL (sectigo.com) as the authority to issue certificates for authenticating your custom domain. When you add a custom domain, Ortto automatically sets up a CAA record allowing ZeroSSL to issue a certificate on your behalf. This ensures seamless domain setup without any extra steps on your part.

If you have a custom configuration that prevents this setup, please consult with your IT team about allowing ZeroSSL to issue certificates for your domain.

Domain statuses

The table below explains the different statuses your domain may have.

Custom domain troubleshooting

Get help troubleshooting pending domains, errors, and other custom domain concerns in our Custom domain troubleshooting guide.